


Little Love

by brightlikeloulou



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M, Parenthood, post 6 year time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:34:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlikeloulou/pseuds/brightlikeloulou
Summary: On a run, Daryl and Paul find an orphaned child.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Jesus
Kudos: 30





	1. 2

**Author's Note:**

> reupload of my old deleted fic

The only sound was that of Paul's boots against the tiled floor. The old mall was utterly abandoned, at least it was so far, there could still have been walkers lurking that they hadn't come across yet. It was dark, but the large glass windows allowed enough light inside that he didn't need to use his flashlight too often, only in the stores that didn't have windows.

He and Daryl had been raiding the mall for the past two days and were almost finished, with only the last floor left to go.

Paul was clearing the last floor, while Daryl moved their finds into the RV, Dog acting as his lookout. They had taken the RV as there was plenty of room for the two of them and storage for whatever things they came across. They were also able to pull a trailer from it, which gave them even more space.

The larger things that they had found, they kept organized on the bottom floor. The Hilltop had a group of people that didn't do raids themselves but went to places that had been raided and collected the things that scavengers didn't have enough room to transport back with them. It was a good system.

Paul had had his knife out, ready to defend himself against anything that came at him. He was at the end of the top floor when he heard something come from what used to be an old stationery store. It sounded like something had been knocked over.

He had already found several walkers, and he wouldn't have been surprised if there was a couple more. The walkers that they had found throughout the mall weren't all that decomposed, which meant that they hadn't been dead long and were probably a group that had been using the mall as a camp.

Paul carefully stepped into the stationery store, with his knife tightly gripped in his hand. He walked around the shelves quietly, searching for what had been the source of the noise. There were various things scattered against the floor so something could have fallen over by itself, or rats were around, but he couldn't be careless.

He found nothing in the front area of the store, but once he got to the back, he found a door that more than likely lead to a storage cupboard. The door was closed and had blood spattered over its wooden surface, a handprint in the middle of it.

He stood quietly for a few moments, listening intently, and sure enough, heard more noises from behind the door. He reached his gloved hand outwards and wrapped it around the handle of the door. He pushed the door open slowly and crept inside. The cupboard was bigger than it appeared, it held a desk and several large shelves that blocked his view of the area behind them.

Paul scanned what he could see before he began walking again and stepped around the shelves to be able to see what laid in the area behind them.

When he did, instead of finding a walker like he had expected, he found a little boy. The boy was tiny and naked, he had pale skin and messy long, pitch-black hair. He looked underweight, and his body was dirty, and Paul could see a few cuts and scrapes on his body, some blood smeared in various places. He looked to be around three to four years old.

The boy looked up at Paul, and curled in on himself and scooted against the wall behind him.

After his shock wore off, Paul took a deep breath, and then quickly tucked his knife away, wanting to appear non-threatening. He had found children before, but usually, they were always with at least one other person, not by themselves, and he had never found one in as bad condition that the boy in front of him was.

"Hi," Paul greeted, keeping his voice quiet and gentle, he took a few steps closer to the little boy, and squatted down in front of him, the boy whimpered softly and tried to move even further away from him. Paul shushed him, "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, sweetheart,"

"Are you a monster?" The little boy asked quietly, fear evident in his voice, "Like the ones outside?"

The question saddened Paul, one of the main things he found cruel about the new world was the things that children had seen, heard, or had to do.

Paul immediately shook his head, "No, I'm not a monster. I'm a person. A safe person," He assured him, "My name's Jesus, what's your name?"

The boy looked at him curiously, his lips turned downwards in a frown. "Are you goin' to hurt me?"

"No, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," He said, trying to appear as non-threatening as he could, "I can take you somewhere safe, where there are no monsters. There's always food and water, there are other people, children you could be friends with, we even have some animals,"

The little boy was silent for several long moments, before he moved, just the tiniest bit closer to Paul, "Do you promise?" He asked, sounding so very small.

"Yes, I promise," Paul replied, and then stood up slowly.

"Okay, I think I'll come wit' you then,"

Paul smiled wide as he watched the little boy stand up, he tried to hide how worried he actually was about the boy's appearance. The little boy carefully walked towards him, and he still seemed very cautious, which was understandable.

"Good," Paul said, "I would like that very much,"

When the boy looked up at him, "Do you have colors?"

"Coloring in books?" Paul asked with furrowed brows.

The little boy nodded, "I liked colors, but I lost them,"

"I can get you some coloring in books," He nodded and held his hand out, and he smiled wide when the boy took it after a few seconds. "Do you have anything here you want to take with you?"

"No, lost everythin',"

Paul was filled with curiosity as to what had actually happened for the boy to end up in the mall, naked and half starved. "Is there anyone else here with you?"

"They all monsters now," He replied sadly.

"Okay, sweetheart," He said and squatted down again. He frowned at the little cut he saw beneath the boy's long hair, "Would you let me carry you, so we can get back to my boyfriend faster?"

The boy frowned, "Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, his name's Daryl. He's a nice person too, I promise," Paul told him, and held his hands out for permission to pick him up.

The boy stepped closer to him until Paul's hands brushed his sides, and then Paul picked him up. He carefully hoisted the little boy onto his hip, being mindful that he was naked and had a couple of sore spots.

Paul began walking out of the cupboard and through the stationary store.

"And guess what," Paul began, thinking that it would be something to get the boy excited, "Daryl even has a dog,"

The little boy lifted his head up and looked at him, Paul noticed then that he had bright green eyes, "Really? I have never seen a dog in real life, only in books,"

Paul smiled and nodded at him as he began making his way along the fourth floor to the old escalators, they obviously didn't work, but now functioned as stairs.

"Yep, he does, a real dog,"

"What's his name?" He asked curiously and pushed some hair back from his face.

"Daryl named him Dog," Paul replied, a fond little smile for his boyfriend spread over his lips.

The boy scrunched up his little upturned nose, "That's a stupid name,"

Paul laughed, and adjusted his hold on the boy a little, "I think so too, but Daryl didn't want to name him anything else, despite my suggestions,"

The boy made a little humming noise and then rested his head against Paul's chest. That made Paul's lips turn in a little smile.

A few minutes later, Paul walked down the final set of escalators onto the ground floor of the mall. Paul made his way to the large front doors, Daryl should be somewhere around there.

After a few moments, Daryl was suddenly walking back inside the mall, probably to pick up another box of supplies to pack into the trailer.

"Hi," Paul greeted him when the man was still looking down at his feet and hadn't seemed to notice that Paul was there.

"Hey," Daryl replied and lifted his head, he immediately noticed the naked child that sat on Paul's hip, and his eyes widened, and his jaw slackened. He got his act together quickly, and took a few steps towards them, "Who's this?" He asked softly and gave the little boy a smile.

Paul looked down at the boy and found him looking up at him already, a nervous look on his face. Paul smiled at him. "It's okay, sweetheart," He said, and took a few steps towards Daryl, "He hasn't actually told me his name yet, have you?" He said to the little boy.

Daryl smiled at him, "My name's Daryl," He said, still keeping his voice gentle.

The boy rested his head against Paul's chest again and lifted his fist to his mouth.

"Do you want to tell Daryl and me your name?" Paul asked softly.

The boy was quiet for several moments, "Harry," He finally said.

Paul smiled wide, "Well, hi, Harry,"

"Hi," He replied sweetly, and even gave Paul a tiny smile.

Paul looked over at Daryl after a few moments, "Do you want to go into my pack? I have a spare t-shirt in there that he can put on, all the kid's stuff we found is already at the back of the trailer. It'll take too long to get it out and then put everything back, and I want to get him straight back to The Hilltop,"

Daryl nodded, "Sure, we'll leave everything else for the collectors to get," He gave Harry another sweet smile, and then turned and left.

Paul, with Harry still in his arms, walked over to the little lounge spot a few meters from them. They were several purple couches and a couple of armchairs. Paul sat Harry down on the closest couch.

"Where's Dog?" Harry asked, looking around curiously searching for the dog.

Paul smiled, "He'd be near Daryl somewhere, you'll see him soon. We'll just get you into some clothes first."

The boy huffed a little but crossed his legs, and relaxed back against the cushions on the couch.

Daryl returned a few minutes, holding a black t-shirt in his hand, and Paul watched Harry frown when there was no sign of the dog.

When Daryl reached them, he handed the shirt to Paul and then sat down on one of the armchairs.

Paul quickly checked if the shirt was inside-out before he stepped up to Harry again and held it out, "Can you hold your arms up for me, Harry?" He asked, and smiled when he immediately did so, "Thank you," Paul told him as he slipped his black t-shirt onto the little boy.

The t-shirt was obviously too big, was baggy on Harry's thin body and reached below his knees. "Can I meet Dog now?" He asked once he had the shirt on, jumping off the couch and gripping Paul's pants in his little fist.

Paul looked over at Daryl and quirked a brow, "What do you think?" He asked, smiling broadly.

"Please!" Harry said, swaying on his feet and tugging on Paul's pants.

Both Daryl and Paul chuckled, "Come on, I left him where we were sleeping because I didn't know how he'd react to him," Daryl said to Paul as they began walking towards the Optometrist's store that they had set up camp in the past couple of days.

Harry followed beside them eagerly, and halfway to the Optometrist's, Paul felt the little boy grip his hand in his own. Paul looked down at him and felt a surge of fondness for the little boy who seemed to be trusting him reasonably quickly. Paul gave him a smile and squeezed his hand when he looked back up, he found Daryl looking over at him.

Paul recognised the look the man was giving him, it was the look that Paul got whenever he was around kids, teaching his martial arts classes, with Judith or RJ, Hershel Jr, Jerry and Nabila's new baby. Basically, Daryl's look of _Satisfy my damn baby fever already_ , like there was some magical way Paul could somehow call a stork and retrieve a child for the two of them.

Paul took a deep breath and looked away from him because he knew precisely what Daryl was already thinking.

Daryl walked inside the store first, followed by Paul and Harry. Dog was laying down on the pile of blankets that Daryl had designated for him, and he immediately perked up when he saw his owner and Paul. Then he saw Harry and got even more excited, the dog liked kids and babies almost as much as Daryl did, which was saying something.

Harry let out an excited squeal of noise, let go of Paul's hand and trotted over to the dog with his hands outstretched. Dog's tail thumped hard and fast against the floor as he licked over the boy's face and he received scratches and pats.

"Dog can keep him occupied while we clean up," Paul said to Daryl, and immediately grabbed his pack from a desk and started placing things into it, Daryl followed his lead.

* * *

Paul turned his head again and looked over his shoulder at the boy.

They were on the road and on their way back to The Hilltop, the mall he and Daryl had been raiding was six hours away, but they had already been driving for a few hours and were now only about two and a half hours away.

Daryl was driving, Paul was in the passenger seat beside him, and Harry was passed out asleep in the RV's tiny bedroom. The door was open, and from his seat, Paul could see the lump that was the boy under the bed's covers. Dog was also on the bed, napping with him.

"He doesn't seem to be sick or too badly injured other than the bruises, and grazes. A cut or two," Paul said, sitting straight in his chair again and reaching for the bottle of water in the cup holder beside him, "His weight is worrying me though, he's clearly malnourished and dehydrated,"

Daryl nodded, "Did he say anything about how long that he had been on his own?"

"No, he just said that they're all monsters," Paul replied, "He calls walkers monsters, asked if I was one when I first found him,"

"So he was scared of you at first? He seemed pretty damn comfortable when you first came down,"

"He was at first, yeah, but then I told him I could take him to a safe place with food, water, and other people. He perked right up when I told him about Dog,"

Daryl chuckled softly, "He's pretty cute,"

Paul hummed and lifted his feet up onto the dashboard, "He is," He agreed.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before the sound of shuffling behind them, had Paul turning around again. He found Harry climbing out of bed.

"Harry, what's the matter?" Paul asked, his brows furrowed together.

The little boy walked across the RV, Dog trotting behind him, he came to a stop beside Paul's chair, and gripped his pants in his hand. He looked up at him for almost a solid minutes, before he turned looked at Daryl.

"Harry?" Paul repeated.

Harry then turned around, "Just had to check," He mumbled and then made his way back to the bed.

Paul watched as the boy climbed back into the bed, curled himself under the blankets and then snuggled against Dog when he also jumped up on the bed.

Paul looked over at Daryl, "What was that?" He asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Daryl shook his head, "I have no idea,"

Paul sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his face before he relaxed back into his seat.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set when they pulled up just inside the gates of The Hilltop. Daryl turned off the car, and they both proceeded to stand up, and Paul stretched his arms over his head.

The door to the RV opened after a few seconds, and Maggie stepped inside. She smiled broadly at them, "Hello, boys, how did it go?" She asked.

Daryl stepped over to her, and they shared a hug, "Good," He replied happily.

"Oo, you sound more cheerful than usual," She said and watched as Paul walked right past her and towards the bathroom.

Paul smiled softly at the sight of the little boy curled up in the bed when Paul entered the room, Dog jumped off the bed and bounded out of the room to find Daryl.

"Harry," Paul said softly to the already stirring little boy, the boy opened his wide, green eyes, and blinked up at him, "We're home, come on, we're going to get you to the doctor,"

Harry yawned as he sat up, "Okay," He said softly, and Paul smiled when the boy held his arms out for Paul to pick him up.

Paul held him against his chest, and the still sleepy child rested his head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck. Once Paul had the boy settled, he made his way out of the bedroom.

Maggie looked over when he heard him approaching, and her brows raised when she saw the little boy in his arms.

"Oh, now I get it," She said and sent a grin in Daryl's direction. Both Paul and Daryl glared at her.

"We need to get him to Siddiq to be checked out, then he needs a proper meal and more sleep, you can meet him later," Paul said, "I will ask you to grab some stuff for him and put in mine and Daryl's house though?" He asked, and smiled gratefully when she nodded. He then proceeded to walk out of the RV.

A few seconds later, he heard his boyfriend's footsteps behind him.

Paul noticed the people of The Hilltop who looked on curiously, but Paul tried to pay no mind to them.

The three of them entered the med trailer, and Siddiq immediately looked up from where he was sat at his desk. He noticed the boy in Paul's arms and smiled as he stood up.

"Who's this?" He asked.

Paul smiled back at him, and moved over to the examination table, "This is Harry. Harry, sweetheart, this is Siddiq, our doctor. He's going to check you out, okay?" Paul told the little boy as he sat him down on the examination table.

Harry yawned in response, and then said, "I'm hungry," They had already given him some food on the drive back from the mall, but it was understandable that he wanted more.

Paul smiled and brushed some hair back from his face, "I know, we'll get you something to eat after this, okay?"

"Hi, Harry," Siddiq greeted the boy and approached him.

"Hello," The boy replied quietly.

"As far as I can tell, he's dehydrated and underweight, and he's got some cuts, bruises, and scrapes," Paul said, as he reached for Harry's shirt, "Hold your arms up," He said to him, and pulled the shirt off once he did.

"Okay," Siddiq said, and stepped closer to him, and he gently began examining Harry's body. "Let's see how we go,"

* * *

It took nearly an hour for a half for Siddiq to finish his examination, and he came to the conclusion that Harry was going to be perfectly fine and should start gaining weight now that he'll have a regular diet.

There had been a few tears when Siddiq had to clean the boy's cuts and grazes, Harry hadn't liked the sting of the wipes. He was still sniffling and snuggled in Paul's arms when Maggie came into the trailer.

"Hi, everything's sorted in your house," She said, and her eyes fell on Paul who was petting Harry's back, "Are you sure about this?" She said softly.

Paul sighed, "I think he's already attached to me. For now, it's okay, we'll see how it goes," He answered truthfully, and looked over at Daryl, found that the man seemed a little disappointed at his reply, but he still gave Paul a soft smile.

Paul smiled back, "Come on, let's get him some food and a bath," he said.

The two men made their way out of the med trailer, Harry having calmed down in Paul's arms, and had begun looking around the community curiously as they walked to the area behind Barrington House where the walls had been extended, and houses had been built.

Paul and Daryl had been given one of the first houses two years ago as a thank you from the community, at first, they hated what they believed was special treatment, but they slowly fell in love with their cozy two bedroom house.

Daryl held the door open for him and pecked his cheek as he walked through.

"You go get him bathed, I'll make some dinner," Daryl offered as he kicked his boots off and petted Dog who was sitting by his feet.

"Sounds like a plan," Paul replied, gave Daryl a smile as he passed him and made his way through the house towards the spare bedroom.

"Food?" Harry asked as Paul sat him down on the bed.

"Soon, I promise," Paul replied and began sifting through the containers of supplies that Maggie had left in there, "Daryl's cooking it while I give you a bath, okay? And after dinner, you can get some more sleep,"

After finding some pants, a shirt, and some underwear, Paul hoisted Harry onto his hip again and made his way into the bathroom.

Paul placed Harry's clothes on the vanity, and then put the boy down. He quickly lifted the toilet lid and let the boy go to the bathroom while Paul turned on the water to the tub and adjusted the temperature.

Once Harry was done, Paul took the boy's t-shirt off and then lifted him into the bath.

Paul used the bright pink loofa (a gag gift from Aaron) to gently scrub the dirt, grime, and blood from his body. Paul smiled fondly as Harry giggled and splashed in the warm water that surrounded him, and he looked up at Paul and smiled toothily every few moments.

"Have you ever had a proper bath before?" Paul asked as he used a little tub to pour water over the foam on Harry's chest.

"I remember two times. It was cold though," Harry replied.

Paul hummed and reached for the shampoo that he had put on the floor beside him to wash Harry's hair, "Warm water is so much better when it comes to showers and baths," Paul said, and he began rubbing shampoo into Harry's thick, shoulder-length black hair.

About an hour later, Harry was done with his bath and dinner, and both Paul and Daryl were getting him settled into the spare bedroom. Paul was sat down beside him, and the boy laid in the middle of the queen bed with the covers pulled up to his chin, and a little-stuffed wolf was tucked under his arm.

"You remember where mine and Daryl's room is?" Paul asked, and pushed some hair back from Harry's face.

"Yeah," He replied and yawned into his fist. He then looked over at Daryl who was standing by the door, "Daryl, can Dog stay with me tonight?" He asked quietly, threading his fingers into the fur of the dog that was already half asleep beside him.

"Sure, sweetheart," Daryl replied with a soft smile.

Paul petted the little boy's chest softly and then stood up from the bed. "Get some sleep, Harry," He said, and then walked over to the door.

"Goodnight," Harry replied quietly.

Paul sent him one last smile before he stepped out of the room, he closed the door behind him but left it open enough so that Dog could leave if he wanted to.

Paul took Daryl's hand, and the two of them made their way to their own bedroom just down the small hall. They closed the door behind them, and Paul immediately dropped down on the bed, while Daryl stripped off his clothes.

"Are you okay, darlin'?" Daryl asked softly, and seemingly finished removed his own clothes, and began pulling Paul's off.

"It's just been a very eventful day," Paul replied as he felt Daryl tug his pants down. He heard Daryl hum behind him.

After a few moments, Daryl climbed into the bed beside him and pulled the covers over both of their bodies. They scooted close to each other, both on their sides and facing each other.

"How're you feeling?" Daryl asked him softly, reaching up and pushing some hair behind Paul's ear.

"About what?"

"You know what about," Daryl replied, ocean blue eyes boring into Paul's.

Paul sighed, and rolled onto his back, "I know it's something you want,"

"But do you think I'm going to want it if you don't? I don't ever want you to be miserable and think that you have to do this just for me," Daryl said, and Paul was reminded of just how wonderful the man was.

Paul sighed heavily, and rubbed his fingers over his brow, "I don't know, maybe I want it? It's a big thing to think about, I mean, looking after him tonight compared to looking after him forever, is quite different,"

"I know it is, that's why I don't want you to just rush into it to please me if it's going to be something you regret,"

Paul looked over at him again, "It would have to be something Harry would want too,"

"He's already attached to your hip, I think he'd be fine with it," Daryl said with a soft smile.

Paul was quiet for a few moments before he lifted his arm and motioned for Daryl to cuddle up to his chest, which he eagerly did, "Let's get some sleep, we'll see how tomorrow goes,"

"Okay," Daryl replied, and settled against Paul's chest, throwing an arm over his chest, "I love you,"

Paul's lips twitched, "I love you," He said, and kissed Daryl's head.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since they brought little Harry back to The Hilltop, and he was still as sweet as ever, and still staying in their spare bedroom in their house.

He had met most of the people at The Hilltop at some point in that week, and he really only seemed to like Maggie, Siddiq, Hershel, Aaron, Eric, and Gracie. He was very shy around the rest of The Hilltop's residents.

He was yet to meet anyone from any other communities: Alexandria, The Kingdom, or Oceanside, as none of them had had any reason to travel to The Hilltop. A couple of days after they brought him home, Eric had suggested that they radio into the other communities, so the people they were close to, could come and meet Harry.

Paul and Daryl had said no for the moment because they still weren't sure what they were doing with the boy. They didn't know if they were keeping him in their care and raising him themselves, or if they'd move him into someone else's.

So far, the first optioned seemed to be what they were going with. Harry was attached to both of them, had been within the first couple of hours. Paul knew that Daryl also got close to the little boy quickly, and he also knew that he had too. He found Harry extremely precious and had enjoyed caring for him so far. He found himself incredibly protective of him.

Currently, it was early morning and he and the boy were cuddled up on the couch while Daryl prepared some breakfast for them, Dog hovering around hoping that Daryl would throw him a snack. Harry's long hair was messy and falling down to his shoulders, and his green eyes were still heavy as he hadn't been awake long. He wore a pair of pink socks and grey sweats as his pajamas, but not a shirt as he noticed that Paul and Daryl didn't wear one to sleep and he wanted to be like them.

He was tucked under Paul's arm, with his head rested against his chest and his little hands sitting on Paul's thigh. Paul was trailing his fingers over the little boy's bare back as he read the book he had perched on the armrest.

"Paul?" Harry asked, lifting his head to look up at him.

"Yeah?" Paul replied and met his big green eyes, he pushed some of his thick hair back from his face and tucked it behind his ears.

Harry's hair was nice and soft now, but the morning after they had gotten Harry back to The Hilltop, Paul had been brushing the boy's hair out when he found that it was full of lice. He spent several long hours pulling live lice and eggs out of the thick black strands and then washing it with a special shampoo that was supposed to kill whatever he missed. The shampoo was years out of date, so Paul could only hope that it did its job.

"When am I leavin'?" He asked softly.

Paul frowned, and grabbed the little boy's hips and pulled him into his lap, and he could hear Daryl walking over to them after hearing Harry's question.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Paul asked, rubbing the boy's waist affectionately, and looking over at Daryl as he sat down with them.

Harry shrugged softly, "Heard you two talkin' to Aaron and Eric, that I might be leavin'," He said quietly, and looked down at his lap, "Please don't make me leave The Hilltop, I like it here," he whimpered.

Paul's heart lurched into his throat, and he shared a look with Daryl as the boy fell into Paul's chest and began sobbing.

"Harry," Paul said softly, and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and pushed so that he could look at him again, "We were never going to make you leave The Hilltop, okay, sweetheart?" he said softly.

"Nobody ever would make you leave," Daryl added softly, brushing the tears off Harry's cheeks with his thumbs.

Paul shared a look with Daryl, and Daryl nodded softly at him.

"What me and Daryl were talking about, was that we weren't sure if we were going to have you continue to stay with us, or if we would put you into the care of someone else," Paul said carefully, and Harry's sniffles slowly began to calm down.

"Don't you like me?" Harry asked, his fine brows furrowed together and a little frown on his lips as he looked between Paul.

"Harry, no," It was Daryl that spoke that time, "We like you very much, okay?" He said softly.

"And you're not going anywhere," Paul said softly, and he immediately felt Daryl's head snap over to look at him, and Paul looked at him, and they shared a gentle smile, "You're staying here with us, sweetheart, in your room, and with Dog as your bodyguard," He said, grinning at the little boy, and he smiled right back.

Harry grinned back and crawled further into Paul's lap so that he could wrap his arms around his shoulders. Paul wrapped one arm around Harry, and then the other around Daryl and the man laid against his side, also hugging Harry.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent mostly with Harry, playing with him in his rooms and taking him around The Hilltop to see all of the animals that he loved. He had been scared of the horses at first due to their size but had warmed up to them pretty quickly when Paul and Daryl had assured him that they were friendly.

It was around seven-thirty when they tucked Harry into bed for the night, the both of them kissing his forehead goodnight and Dog curling up beside him.

The two of them settled onto the couch after they knew that Harry was asleep, Paul laying on his back against the cushions, and Daryl on top of him with his head rested on his chest.

"So, he's staying with us then?" Daryl asked softly after they had laid in silence for several minutes.

Paul hummed as he rubbed his hands up and down Daryl's back affectionately, "Yeah," Paul said softly, a smile pulling against his lips, and he could feel Daryl smile where his face was pressed into his collarbones.

"He's our kid then?" Daryl said, kissing Paul's skin softly.

"I guess so," Paul replied, beginning to trail his fingers through the man's hair, "He's clearly very attached to us, and he's so precious, I like having him around,"

Daryl was quiet for several moments, "Are you sure you ain't just doin' this for me? Because yeah, I want to be a dad, but I also don't want to be forcing you into this, that you think you have to just for me,"

Paul shook his head, "No, I'm not doing it just for you," He answered the other man, and shifted so that Daryl had to get off him and sit in front of him. Once he had, Paul placed both of his forearms on his shoulders and looked the man deep in the eyes, "I want this too, I want to keep him around. I want to raise him with you, Daryl," He assured the other man.

Daryl smiled at him, "Okay," he said softly, reaching for Paul's hips and caressing them.

"I love you," Paul said as he rested their forehead together.

"I love you," Daryl immediately replied, and Paul tilted his head so that their lips met.

They kissed deeply and passionately.

* * *

It was several days later, and the middle of the night, when Paul and Daryl were awoken by screaming.

They both jumped awake, sitting up in the bed and staring at each other in confusion for only a moment before they launched out of bed and out of the bedroom.

It was evident that Harry was screaming due to the direction it was coming from and how high-pitched it was. It was Paul who got into the room first, and he found Harry thrashing around on the bed, and Dog sat up beside sniffing at his face and whimpering.

"Harry!" Paul said as he grabbed the boy by his shoulders, and he quickly jerked awake, his body lurching into Paul's.

Paul shared a concerned look with Daryl as Harry immediately began sobbing into Paul's chest, his desperate hands clinging at his bare arms.

"It's okay," Daryl said softly to the boy, sitting down on the bed beside them and stroking Harry's long black hair, threading the strands through his fingers. "It was just a dream, sweetheart. You're okay,"

Paul rocked Harry in his arms gently, pressing small kisses against his head and petting his back, "You're safe, sweetie, completely safe," he whispered, sharing a sad look with Daryl.

Harry continued to sob for a few more minutes before Paul pushed him back so that the little boy was sat on the mattress in front of them and had to look at them.

Paul placed one hand on the boy's shoulder, and the other under his chin to tilt his head up to look at him, "Harry, it was just a dream, you're okay," he repeated.

Harry sniffled and then nodded as he wiped at his nose and eyes, "I'm sorry," He whimpered.

"Hey," Daryl said, moving closer to the boy and petting his hair, "Nothing to be sorry for, okay? Everyone gets nightmares, even me and Paul,"

"Really?" Harry asked, and both Paul and Daryl nodded, "Okay," he said softly.

"Alright, now, you've got to go back to sleep," Daryl said, and placed his hands on Harry's waist to lay him back down, but Harry immediately whined and made grabby hands at him.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked, watching as Harry crawled into Daryl's lap and buried his face in his neck.

"Don't want you to go," He answered, turning in Daryl's lap so that he could peak at Paul from behind his hair. The sweet thing looked desperate.

Paul sighed heavily; he knew that the boy needed his sleep. There had been one night where Harry had gotten barely any sleep and had been a cute little pain in their ass. He cried when he had to eat his breakfast and have a bath, ran away and hid from them because he didn't want to go down for a nap. He threw an all-out tantrum, screaming and crying and only calming down when he played with Dog.

"How about you come and sleep in bed with Daryl and me then?" Paul asked, reaching out and stroking the boy's cheek.

Harry immediately nodded, and Paul and Daryl chuckled as they both stood up from the bed, Harry in Daryl's arms as they made their way to their bedroom, and Dog trotted right along behind them.

Daryl crawled into the bed first, laying on his side and placing Harry in the middle of the bed as Paul got into his side and settling behind Harry. The two of them sandwiched the little boy between them. Dog laid himself down on the rug by the door, knowing that he wasn't allowed on their bed.

Harry settled between them, and Paul loved the feeling of holding both the boy and his boyfriend in his arms.

It was quiet for a few moments, Paul and Daryl drifting back off to sleep, assuming that Harry was also.

Instead, Harry broke the silence of the bedroom, "Are you two my daddies?" he asked softly.

Paul raised his brows at that and looked over Harry to meet Daryl's eyes. The older man had a happy little grin on his face, and his eyes were watery. Paul smiled at him, and then down at Harry who was looking up at him, his green eyes bright and curious.

"Do you want us to be?" Paul asked quietly, rolling onto his side a little more and moving the hand that he had splayed over Harry's tummy, to push some of his hair back from his face.

Harry nodded quickly, "Yes, please," he said sweetly, looking away from Paul and over at Daryl instead, reaching one of his little hand's up to rub his hand against the stubble on the man's chin.

Paul chuckled, "Well, sweetheart, me and Daryl would really like for you to be our son," he said, and the wide grin that spread over Harry's lips made his heart swell with happiness.

Daryl leaned down and pressed a kiss against Harry's cheek, "Would you like that?" He asked, and Paul knew that the older man was probably so happy that he wanted to cry.

Harry eagerly nodded, and then somewhat awkwardly managed to get one arm around each of their shoulders, and they both leaned down to him and pressed kisses against his face and cuddled him close.

Harry and Daryl eventually got too tired for their own good and passed out, but Paul spent what could have easily been over an hour admiring his little family.

When he did eventually fall asleep, he was warm, comfortable, and happy.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading <3


End file.
